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Periscope Future of TV NBC

Exclusive: NBC Sports to leverage Periscope’s GoPro integration for Kentucky Derby coverage

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By Adam Flomenbaum, Co-Executive Editor

May 2, 2016 | 3 min read

The Kentucky Derby is fast approaching, and viewers, attendees, and NBC Sports know that this is no ordinary horse race: it’s an all-out spectacle.

johnny_weir_kentucky_derby_hat_day

Derby Day is a fashion show, foodie heaven, and sporting event wrapped in one, and because of this, lends itself well to innovative social activations.

For the first time this year, NBC will be strategically placing GoPro cameras around Churchill Downs, and fans will be able to stream the unique feeds via the @NBCSN Twitter and Periscope accounts.

“The GoPros will capture the excitement of the race in the stands, with the fans cheering like crazy for their horse picks, which will be a lot fun,” Lyndsay Signor, senior director of social media marketing, NBC Sports, told Found Remote. “This is a great complement for people who are watching the race on television or on NBC Sports Live Extra, and will give different perspectives.”

In addition to the GoPro Periscope activation, new social media correspondent Rutledge Wood will be documenting the event across a host of social platforms and will be interviewing celebrities for Facebook Live.

Johnny Weir will of course be back, and anticipation for which Derby hat he will choose to wear continues to build each year. To capitalize on this, Weir will be wearing a tweet-powered brooch (you read that correctly) designed by Viget. The more conversation on Twitter using hashtag #watchmeneighneigh, the faster the horse brooch will gallop and illuminate.

“It may be the fastest two minutes in sports, but we are on the air from Noon until 7 p.m., so this is much more than a single horse race,” Signor added. “There is racing all day, and have a lot of fun content on all platforms that we will push out gradually, including photos and interviews from our ‘Peacock Paddock’ on the red carpet.

Periscope Future of TV NBC

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